Frequently Asked Questions

Top FAQs

Can LibLynx Gateway handle an organization with multiple locations that don’t all subscribe to the exact same resources?

Absolutely. LibLynx Gateway was designed to allow access to resources based on specific need and/or location. Many clients choose us because of our unique features geared towards multi-site clients.

Can LibLynx Gateway help ensure that access to our resources ends when a patron leaves our organization?

Absolutely. This is a major concern for many libraries and LibLynx Gateway eliminates the problem in one of three ways. First, users can be set up with an automatic expiration date which is especially useful for users with a predetermined departure date. Second, you can manually remove a user if you are notified that a user has left the organization. Third, if you opt to integrate LibLynx Gateway with your Organization’s internal identity system users are automatically added/deleted.

Can our patrons use their existing network access username and password login credentials?

Yes. LibLynx Gateway is designed to support secure Single Sign On (SSO), enabling patrons to use their existing organizational username and password, and eliminating the need for your users to have to remember additional credentials. Gateway integrates with a wide variety of internal identity systems, including local directory integrations, Microsoft ADFS and 3rd party identity provider solutions – please contact us to find out more.

Can the user portal be personalized with our organization logo?

Yes. In fact, we offer a wide range of personalization options to reflect your organization’s branding, ranging from simple changes to logos, color schemes and fonts through to complete control over the look and feel via CSS customization (might require technical support from your IT department). Your user portal can also include information specific to your organization, such as library hours, contact information and links to internal documents such as newsletters.

Can we use LibLynx Gateway to keep track of our online resource subscriptions?

Absolutely! LibLynx Gateway provides a convenient place for you to record and store detailed subscription information including resource providers, expirations dates and costs as well as other custom fields you require. We can report usage by resource and user groups, giving you greater control over cost management.

Do all users need to be allowed the same access rights to resources?

No. Access to a resource can be specific to an individual, group, academic program, and/or location. This functionality enables libraries to potentially save on subscription costs by limiting access to specific resources based on user need.

Do we have to allow all of our patrons access to LibLynx Gateway?

No. You decide who needs access to your resources, either remotely or on-site or both, and purchase accordingly.

How is LibLynx Gateway different from EZproxy?

LibLynx Gateway authenticates patrons using Single Sign-On (SSO), before enabling web proxy access to licensed resources, giving you far greater control and oversight over who has access to what. This allows you to easily control access by individual, group, academic program, and/or location, potentially saving on subscription costs that would otherwise require sitewide access. Similarly, you can quickly identify and control fraudulent use of library resources. Detailed usage reporting delivers insights into user behavior that improve user outreach, budget management and purchasing decisions. Patrons can use your existing organization credentials to simplify access and minimize password fatigue, and you can save all that time spent on stanza management.

LibLynx Gateway also has an optional personalized, mobile-ready user portal that reflects your organization’s branding – great for special libraries, such as allied health, law schools, medical schools etc.

If you’re an existing EZproxy user, contact us to find out how we can quickly get you up and running by translating your EZproxy stanzas.

How is LibLynx Gateway priced?

The software is priced in tiers of users, and is upgradeable if and when your needs change.

Is it possible to test LibLynx Gateway to be sure it will meet our requirements?

Yes. We encourage prospective clients to sign up for a free test pilot.

What are the advantages of a Software-as-a-Service solution like LibLynx Gateway?

LibLynx Gateway is a fully-managed web service that either replaces your existing access method, such as Citrix, VPN or proxy software, or provides remote resource access for clients currently without this capability. Unlike locally-installed and supported solutions, Gateway doesn’t have any software or hardware requirements, making it easy for non-technical staff to implement and administer. Responsibility for maintenance and updates rests with us, freeing up time and resources at your end so you can focus on supporting your patron’s needs. Best of all, by sharing the costs of our infrastructure over many libraries, we can provide a high quality and affordable service at the fraction of the cost of supporting in-house.

What are the benefits of integrating Gateway with our organization’s internal identity system (or network access login software)?

Users benefit from not having to learn another set of credentials. Librarians benefit because user additions/departures are automatically reflected or updated by IT, eliminating the need for the library to manually update the system.

Will our IT department be supportive of us using LibLynx Gateway?

Yes, most definitely! LibLynx Gateway reduces the burden of support on IT departments by (i) eliminating the need to support in-house legacy remote access software such as VPN, Citrix and proxy solutions, and (ii) reducing the bandwidth required when patrons use 3rd party resources. Best of all, Gateway can be implemented without requiring any support from your IT department. We’d be happy to talk to them if they have any questions.

Administration

Are there geographic limitations as to where users can access resources using LibLynx Gateway?

No. The only requirement is to have an internet connection and a web browser suitable for accessing the web resources that your library subscribes to.

Can a non-technical person administer LibLynx Gateway?

LibLynx Gateway was designed to be used by non-technical administrators. Our customers describe the software as intuitive and extremely user friendly.

Can LibLynx Gateway handle an organization with multiple locations that don’t all subscribe to the exact same resources?

Absolutely. LibLynx Gateway was designed to allow access to resources based on specific need and/or location. Many clients choose us because of our unique features geared towards multi-site clients.

Can LibLynx Gateway help ensure that access to our resources ends when a patron leaves our organization?

Absolutely. This is a major concern for many libraries and LibLynx Gateway eliminates the problem in one of three ways. First, users can be set up with an automatic expiration date which is especially useful for users with a predetermined departure date. Second, you can manually remove a user if you are notified that a user has left the organization. Third, if you opt to integrate LibLynx Gateway with your Organization’s internal identity system users are automatically added/deleted.

Can our patron’s leave LibLynx Gateway open on their internet browser for their entire shift?

Yes, your patrons can log into LibLynx Gateway and have an active session open for up to 12 hours.

Can our patrons use their existing network access username and password login credentials?

Yes. LibLynx Gateway is designed to support secure Single Sign On (SSO), enabling patrons to use their existing organizational username and password, and eliminating the need for your users to have to remember additional credentials. Gateway integrates with a wide variety of internal identity systems, including local directory integrations, Microsoft ADFS and 3rd party identity provider solutions – please contact us to find out more.

Can our users access resources using LibLynx Gateway on smartphones and tablets?

Yes. LibLynx Gateway features an adaptive interface designed to support mobile devices with a variety of different screen sizes.

Can the user portal be personalized with our organization logo?

Yes. In fact, we offer a wide range of personalization options to reflect your organization’s branding, ranging from simple changes to logos, color schemes and fonts through to complete control over the look and feel via CSS customization (might require technical support from your IT department). Your user portal can also include information specific to your organization, such as library hours, contact information and links to internal documents such as newsletters.

Can the user self-registration option be customized to include our organization’s logo?

Yes. We offer a range of customization options from logos and color schemes through to a fully personalized self-registration page. Contact us to learn more about how we can reflect your organization’s look and feel.

Can we include PubMed, Google, and free resources on the Gateway user portal?

Absolutely. The Gateway user portal was designed to provide single site access to all your resources including free resources. For example, any PDF or JPG file created with a link can be included on the user portal. This feature enables a librarian to create a newsletter or other document that users can access via their portal.

No. Access to a resource can be specific to an individual, group, academic program, and/or location. This functionality enables libraries to potentially save on subscription costs by limiting access to specific resources based on user need.

Do we have to allow all of our patrons access to LibLynx Gateway?

No. You decide who needs access to your resources, either remotely or on-site or both, and purchase accordingly.

How are users removed from LibLynx Gateway once they have left our organization?

Administrators can manually set expiration dates for user accounts, and/or remove access to any account on demand. In addition, libraries that opt to integrate LibLynx Gateway with their organization’s internal identity system will have staff additions/departures automatically reflected, saving effort to manually update the system. We integrate with a wide variety of internal identity systems, including local directory integrations, Microsoft ADFS and 3rd party identity provider solutions – please contact us to find out more.

How does our patron information get input into the LibLynx Gateway system?

Patron information is input in one of four ways.

Individual users can be manually input into the system.

Users can be automatically uploaded in bulk from a spreadsheet, saving time and effort.

LibLynx Gateway can also integrate with your organization’s internal identity system so that users can access resources using their existing credentials. Your users can sign in with their existing username and password, eliminating the need to learn new credentials.

How is LibLynx Gateway different from EZproxy?

LibLynx Gateway authenticates patrons using Single Sign-On (SSO), before enabling web proxy access to licensed resources, giving you far greater control and oversight over who has access to what. This allows you to easily control access by individual, group, academic program, and/or location, potentially saving on subscription costs that would otherwise require sitewide access. Similarly, you can quickly identify and control fraudulent use of library resources. Detailed usage reporting delivers insights into user behavior that improve user outreach, budget management and purchasing decisions. Patrons can use your existing organization credentials to simplify access and minimize password fatigue, and you can save all that time spent on stanza management.

LibLynx Gateway also has an optional personalized, mobile-ready user portal that reflects your organization’s branding – great for special libraries, such as allied health, law schools, medical schools etc.

If you’re an existing EZproxy user, contact us to find out how we can quickly get you up and running by translating your EZproxy stanzas.

How is LibLynx Gateway priced?

The software is priced in tiers of users, and is upgradeable if and when your needs change.

Is it difficult to get users to adapt to using LibLynx Gateway?

Not at all. Users who need remote access to resources immediately appreciate LibLynx Gateway. In addition, users instantly realize the benefit of the single sign-on access to all of their resources.

Is it possible to test LibLynx Gateway to be sure it will meet our requirements?

Yes. We encourage prospective clients to sign up for a free test pilot.

Is LibLynx Gateway safe and secure?

IT departments are increasingly adopting dedicated cloud solutions like Gateway in order to minimize the risk/complexity involved in managing applications within their networks. As a result, many of our client’s IT departments consider Gateway to be much safer than legacy VPN-style solutions that route access to library resources through your organization’s network. We use industry best practices to ensure our cloud-based infrastructure is effectively secured, including performance monitoring and intrusion detection systems, and access is limited to authorized users only. If you have specific concerns, please contact us and we’d be happy to discuss.

What is the benefit of having our patrons access resources via LibLynx Gateway on site?

Having patrons access resources on-site via the LibLynx Gateway allows you to restrict access to resources based on need and subscription agreement, and to generate on-site usage statistics. It also eliminates issues related to changing IP addresses and the need to inform publishers when changes occur. In addition, Gateway reduces the burden of support on IT departments by reducing the bandwidth required when patrons use 3rd party resources.

Which internet browsers do you support?

LibLynx Gateway is designed to support a wide range of desktop, laptop and mobile devices and their respective internet browsers. Our adaptive interface automatically adjusts for screen size. We support all modern browsers and many older ones – please contact us if you have questions.

Will our IT department be supportive of us using LibLynx Gateway?

Yes, most definitely! LibLynx Gateway reduces the burden of support on IT departments by (i) eliminating the need to support in-house legacy remote access software such as VPN, Citrix and proxy solutions, and (ii) reducing the bandwidth required when patrons use 3rd party resources. Best of all, Gateway can be implemented without requiring any support from your IT department. We’d be happy to talk to them if they have any questions.

Reporting

Can LibLynx Gateway help us manage cross billing of resources between departments and locations?

Yes. LibLynx Gateway can generate reports that analyse and allocate usage by department and location.

Can reports be sorted by group(s) and by individual?

Yes. LibLynx Gateway enables you to create custom hierarchies of user groups and subgroups that reflect your organizational structure and allow flexible reporting. You can sort reports by a variety of fields including time, geographical location, patron role, groups and individuals. You can even create your own custom fields to meet your own, unique reporting needs.

Can the data from the reports be exported to Excel?

Yes. All the usage data we collect can be viewed as reports within our Admin portal, or can be exported for external analysis as tab or comma-delimited files that can be imported into Excel.

Can we get a monthly statistical report created automatically?

Yes. Monthly statistical reports can be automatically generated based on preselected criteria. Statistical & usage reports enable adjustments to licensed subscriptions based on actual use and are often used for budgeting.

Can we use LibLynx Gateway to keep track of our online resource subscriptions?

Absolutely! LibLynx Gateway provides a convenient place for you to record and store detailed subscription information including resource providers, expirations dates and costs as well as other custom fields you require. We can report usage by resource and user groups, giving you greater control over cost management.

Can we use the system to calculate the cost of a resource against usage?

Yes. LibLynx Gateway enables you to generate reports analysing cost against usage that can further be sorted by organizational groups and locations.

IT / Technical

Can our patrons use their existing network access username and password login credentials?

Yes. LibLynx Gateway is designed to support secure Single Sign On (SSO), enabling patrons to use their existing organizational username and password, and eliminating the need for your users to have to remember additional credentials. Gateway integrates with a wide variety of internal identity systems, including local directory integrations, Microsoft ADFS and 3rd party identity provider solutions – please contact us to find out more.

Can our users access resources using LibLynx Gateway on smartphones and tablets?

Yes. LibLynx Gateway features an adaptive interface designed to support mobile devices with a variety of different screen sizes.

Does IT need to be involved in the LibLynx Gateway implementation?

IT assistance is only needed if you want to enable patrons to use their existing organizational username and password, eliminating the need for your users to have to remember additional credentials. Gateway integrates with a wide variety of internal identity systems, including local directory integrations, Microsoft ADFS and 3rd party identity provider solutions – please contact us to find out more.

How does LibLynx Gateway manage authentication with resource providers?

LibLynx Gateway supports both Single Sign-on (SSO) including Shibboleth/SAML and IP authentication options to ensure compatibility with the widest range of resource providers. IP authentication is a traditional authentication method designed for computers attached to a network, but is less effective for users accessing via off-network mobile devices and requires complex proxy software that isn’t always compatible with provider websites. SSO is a more effective, modern alternative that allows Gateway to authenticate individual patrons on behalf of the library regardless of their location and/or device, removing the need for a proxy and providing greater security and control over access.

How is LibLynx Gateway different from Citrix or VPN?

LibLynx Gateway is a dedicated library resource management service that offers your users seamless authentication via Single Sign-On (SSO) or proxy IP. Gateway includes a wide array of valuable features in addition to remote access, such as user personalization tools to promote usage and simplify the patron experience, and reports that enable you to understand how your resources are being used and compare this against cost. Unlike internal solutions such Citrix or VPN, Gateway can be implemented and maintained without requiring any support from your IT department.

How is LibLynx Gateway different from EZproxy?

LibLynx Gateway authenticates patrons using Single Sign-On (SSO), before enabling web proxy access to licensed resources, giving you far greater control and oversight over who has access to what. This allows you to easily control access by individual, group, academic program, and/or location, potentially saving on subscription costs that would otherwise require sitewide access. Similarly, you can quickly identify and control fraudulent use of library resources. Detailed usage reporting delivers insights into user behavior that improve user outreach, budget management and purchasing decisions. Patrons can use your existing organization credentials to simplify access and minimize password fatigue, and you can save all that time spent on stanza management.

LibLynx Gateway also has an optional personalized, mobile-ready user portal that reflects your organization’s branding – great for special libraries, such as allied health, law schools, medical schools etc.

If you’re an existing EZproxy user, contact us to find out how we can quickly get you up and running by translating your EZproxy stanzas.

Is LibLynx Gateway safe and secure?

IT departments are increasingly adopting dedicated cloud solutions like Gateway in order to minimize the risk/complexity involved in managing applications within their networks. As a result, many of our client’s IT departments consider Gateway to be much safer than legacy VPN-style solutions that route access to library resources through your organization’s network. We use industry best practices to ensure our cloud-based infrastructure is effectively secured, including performance monitoring and intrusion detection systems, and access is limited to authorized users only. If you have specific concerns, please contact us and we’d be happy to discuss.

What are the advantages of a Software-as-a-Service solution like LibLynx Gateway?

LibLynx Gateway is a fully-managed web service that either replaces your existing access method, such as Citrix, VPN or proxy software, or provides remote resource access for clients currently without this capability. Unlike locally-installed and supported solutions, Gateway doesn’t have any software or hardware requirements, making it easy for non-technical staff to implement and administer. Responsibility for maintenance and updates rests with us, freeing up time and resources at your end so you can focus on supporting your patron’s needs. Best of all, by sharing the costs of our infrastructure over many libraries, we can provide a high quality and affordable service at the fraction of the cost of supporting in-house.

Test Pilot

Can we include some of our patrons in our LibLynx Gateway test pilot?

Absolutely. We encourage you to include different types of users in your test pilot so that you get their feedback.